Ages & Stages 2

Gan Discovery

Ages & Stages

While each child develops at his own pace, it helps for caregivers and parents to know what we can expect at each stage of development. Keeping in mind that these are guidelines, a child that deviates to a great degree may need a professional evaluation.

3 Months
At 3 months, most babies:

• Make cooing or gurgling sounds
• Smile
• Discover their hands and feet
• React to sudden sounds
• Turn their head toward bright colors and lights
• Follow a moving person or object with their eyes
• Recognize the bottle or breast
• Recognize human voice sounds
• Make fists with both hands
• Grasp hair or a toy that is placed in his hand
• Wiggle and kick with arms and legs
• Lift his/her head and chest when lying on stomach

There is the possibility for concern at this age when a baby:
• Does not respond to loud noises
• Has not yet discovered his/her hands

6 Months
At 6 months, most babies:

• Babble
• Show delight by laughing or squealing
• Yell or scream if they become annoyed
• Hold their head steady when helped to a sitting position
• Turn toward the source of a normal sound
• Reach for and grasp objects
• Move objects from one hand to the other
• Roll over
• Discover and play with their toes
• Help hold their bottle during feeding
• Recognize familiar faces
• Place objects in mouth
• Bang objects
• Can pull his/herself into a sitting position when hands are held

There is the possibility for concern at this age when a baby:
• Cannot roll over
• Has not started babbling
• Does not grasp and hold objects
• Has crossed eyes most of the time (occasional crossing is normal)
• Is not smiling spontaneously
• Seems very stiff, with tight muscles
• Seems very floppy, like a rag doll
• Does not turn head to locate sounds

12 Months
At 12 months, most babies:

• Know 5 or 6 words
• Imitate sounds and gestures that you make
• Play peek-a-boo
• Respond to music with body motions
• Wave bye-bye
• Respond to simple verbal direction, such as, "No"
• Crawl
• Get into a sitting position without assistance or support
• Can pull him/herself into a standing position
• Walk holding onto furniture
• Drink from a cup
• Feed themselves finger foods
• Place objects into a container
• Look for an object that he/she sees fall
• Stack two blocks

There is the possibility for concern at this age when a baby:
• Cannot sit alone
• Has not started crawling
• Shows no interest in interacting with caregivers
• Does not babble
• Does not say simple words, such as "Mama" and "Dada"

18 Months
At 18 months, most children:

• Know 8 - 10 words
• Make eye contact when spoken to
• Like to look at pictures
• Identify familiar objects in a picture book
• Respond to simple instructions, such as, "Get the rattle"
• Feed themselves
• Make scribble marks on paper with crayons
• Walk independently
• Push, pull and dump things
• Pull off shoes, socks, hats and mittens

There is the possibility for concern at this age when a child:
• Cannot walk independently
• Does not say at least 8 - 10 words that you can understand
• Does not seem to know the use for common items, such as a telephone, cup, spoon, comb or brush

2 Years
At 2 years, most children:

• Have a vocabulary of several hundred words
• Use 2 to 3 word sentences
• Like to imitate their parent or caregiver
• Follow directions
• Begin to 'make believe' during play
• Refer to self by name or by using "me" or "mine"
• Recognize familiar pictures
• Feed themselves with a spoon
• Are able to drink from a straw
• Can point to hair, eyes, ears and nose when asked
• Play independently
• Begin to run
• Are able to walk up stairs with assistance
• Are able to bend over to pick up an object without losing balance
• Build a tower of 4 blocks
• Want to explore their surroundings

There is the possibility for concern at this age when a child:
• Does not follow simple instructions
• Does not use 2 word sentences
• Does not imitate actions or words

3 Years
At 3 years, most children:

• Use 3 to 5 word sentences.
• Repeat simple rhymes.
• Name at least 1 color correctly.
• Know his/her first and last name.
• Ask questions.
• Use pronouns, such as I, me, you, she, he and they.
• Can remember what happened yesterday.
• Know whether they are a boy or a girl.
• Complete simple puzzles (3 or 4 pieces).
• Sort objects by shape and color.
• Make intentional strokes with a crayon or pencil, such as vertical, horizontal and circular lines.
• Imitate adult tasks, such as housework.
• Play with other children in a small group for at least a few minutes.
• Recognize and understand the use of most common objects.
• Alternate feet walking up steps.
• Climb well.
• Run well.
• Ride a tricycle.
• Kick a ball.
• Open doors.
• Wash and dry his/her own hands.
• Turn pages, one at a time.
• Are toilet trained.

There is the possibility for concern at this age when a child:
• Falls frequently
• Has difficulty going up and down stairs
• Does not speak clearly
• Has persistent drooling
• Cannot understand simple instructions
• Cannot build a tower of 4 or more blocks